


All I Want For Christmas Is

by windsweptfic



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Kaiju, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Hansen-Pentecost Family Feels, Kid Fic, M/M, all of the fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-26
Updated: 2013-11-26
Packaged: 2018-01-02 16:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1058898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windsweptfic/pseuds/windsweptfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They had already spent Christmases together, of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All I Want For Christmas Is

**Author's Note:**

> For [this prompt](http://pacificrimkink.livejournal.com/2747.html?thread=4618683#t4618683) on the PacRim KM: 
> 
> _In a happy AU where Herc and Stacker have recently married and are spending their first Christmas with their children as a family. Just give me all sorts of cute fluff. Possible ideas:_
> 
> _-Dads attempt to make Christmas cookies and wind up licking icing off each other_  
>  _-Chuck and Mako's grand 'kidnap Santa' plan (possibly mako just wanted to see him and was scandalized at chuck's kidnapping plan but, honestly, she kinda really likes the idea of him making her presents all year long so why not)_  
>  _-the kids falling asleep under the tree (possibly in ambush for santa)_  
>  _-present!Max_
> 
> Much love to cinaea for the beta~!

They had already spent Christmases together, of course.

"Herc, do you know where--"

"Have you tried the boxes up in--"

"I already checked the attic, it's all of the kids'--"

" _Daaad!_ "

Herc stuck his head out of the kitchen, flour on his hands and smeared over one cheek as he whisked an egg into the cookie batter.

"What's the matter, kiddo?"

Sitting amidst a tower of boxes, piles of tangled Christmas lights, and perilously-stacked sets of ornaments, Mako's lower lip trembled as she looked up at him.

"I can't find my star," she said, voice bordering between plaintive whine and trying-not-to-cry. Herc hastily set down the bowl of batter, wiping his hands on his apron as he padded into the den. The room looked like Christmas had thrown up on it, decorations everywhere _but_ on the massive pine tree in the corner, which stood a little crooked because Stacker hadn't managed to get one of the screws into the trunk tight enough.

But last year had been a small, sad, fake tree in Herc's apartment, so no one was really complaining.

"Which star?" he asked, crouching down on the edge of the uncluttered circle that surrounded Mako. 

"My treetop star!"

It took Herc a moment to process what she meant. The yellow paper star, covered in gold glitter and stuffed with newspaper, had been gifted to Mako after she participated in the kindergarten Christmas pageant two years ago. It had adorned the top of the tree at Stacker's condo ever since.

"I'm sure it's here somewhere," Herc assured her. He turned his head toward the room that would eventually be Stacker's study, which they were currently using to house unpacked boxes. "Stacks! Have you seen Mako's treetop star?"

Silence.

Then--

"...I'll check the attic."

Herc turned back to Mako. 

"Don't worry, sweetheart, we'll find it. Besides, the star only goes on top once everything else is done, yeah? So how about you start working on that?"

Mako brightened, nodding vigorously. Herc tapped her on the nose with a fond smile, leaving a dusting of flour in his wake.

(Later, the star turned up in a box that had already been triple-checked. It was still wet with glue and new glitter, and copious amounts of tape now lined the worn, ripped hole where it was secured on the treetop. Herc raised an eyebrow at Chuck to get a warning scowl in return, but when Stacker lifted a delighted Mako to place the star atop the decorated tree, Chuck's grin was as wide as his sister's.)

 

* * *

 

They had already spent Christmases together, but this was their first spent entirely in one place, with just one house to decorate, one tree to light up.

One slippery roof to almost break your neck on. 

"Are you _sure_ you're feeling alright?"

Herc waved one hand, using the other to prop his head up with a bag of frozen peas pressed to his temple. 

"'m fine. You're burnin' it."

Stacker let out a short, muffled curse as he yanked his attention back to the creamy alfredo sauce sizzling on the stove.

"Seriously, Herc," he said worriedly, "if we need to go to the hospital--"

"I'm _fine_ ," Herc repeated, rolling his eyes. "It wasn't even that high a fall. Snow cushioned most of it."

Stacker cast him an unhappy look, lips pursed into a thin line. But any further nagging was put off for a while when the front door opened, two very bright-eyed children appearing in the kitchen a few moments after, leaving a trail of melting snow in their wake.

"All the lights are up," Chuck declared, cheeks and nose flushed red as he flailed his way out of his heavy winter coat.

"And Yancy got the reindeer working," Mako added. She was having a little more luck with her outerwear, nimble fingers picking open the buttons. "Its head moves now."

"Impressive," Herc observed. When he'd slipped off the roof, the two Becket boys had abandoned their rather violent snowball fight in the yard across the street, drawn by Mako's scream and Chuck's high-pitched shrieking. The teens had gently calmed down the kids while Stacker quietly and determinedly freaked out, making sure that all Herc had was a lump on the head, not broken bones or a concussion. 

Yancy had volunteered their help to finish hanging the Christmas lights, which basically amounted to the elder Becket doing all the work while Raleigh played with Chuck and Mako. 

"Are the pies done?" Chuck asked, peering around Stacker to check the timer on the oven. Herc smothered a laugh when Mako's eyes narrowed calculatingly and she joined her brother in stalking the baking pies.

"Soon," he promised, seeing Stacker's lips twitch.

The two had not been subtle in their Operation: Capture Santa plans. Herc had heard them conferring together earlier, heatedly debating the merits of a net trap versus a series of bells to alert them to any movement near the fireplace. Mako had been scandalized at the idea of kidnapping Santa at first, but she'd quickly changed her tune when Chuck pointed out that if they had Santa, they could get presents _all year round_.

Sometimes, Herc worried what would happen to the world when they grew older.

 

* * *

 

They had already spent Christmases together, but this one was different. 

"I can't believe we missed Santa," Mako muttered, the words a little garbled around the candy cane sticking out of the corner of her mouth. Chuck nodded in morose agreement, though he seemed happy enough when he dug into his stocking to pull out a package of Tim Tams. Herc saw Stacker attempting and failing to look suitably sympathetic. 

They had woken up ridiculously early that morning to put out presents, only to find two little bundles curled up asleep on the couch. Herc carefully navigated the minefield of bells and legos to get to the stockings as Stacker draped another blanket over the slumbering kids, the soft, fond smile on his face mirrored on Herc's as he watched.

"Maybe next year," he offered. Mako sighed, but nodded.

There was a knock on the door. 

"I'll get it," Herc volunteered, uncurling from against Stacker's side on the couch. He got a grunt from Chuck and no acknowledgement at all from Mako, who had just discovered the Japanese puzzle box tucked into the toe of her stocking. 

Herc padded on bare feet to the front door, opening it to be greeted with a grinning Tendo Choi.

"Merry Christmas, Herc," he said, holding out a ribbon-wrapped box with holes in the sides. "I think Santa got confused--he seemed to have dropped this off at our house instead of yours."

Herc took the box with a smile.

"I'll make sure the kids get it. Merry Christmas, Tendo."

Tendo offered him a wink and a jaunty wave, returning to the sidewalk where Alison waited with their two pet bulldogs.

"Who was that?" Stacker asked innocently when Herc returned to the den. The kids glanced up, briefly, before returning to their hoard of candy.

A second later the box--and the holes--seemed to register, and both heads jerked back up. 

"Just Tendo," Herc replied nonchalantly, fighting hard to control a grin as Chuck and Mako's eyes grew wide, attention fixed on the box in his hands. "Looks like Santa got our addresses mixed up."

"Is that...?" Chuck breathed. 

Herc set the box gently down on the floor.

"It's addressed to you two. Why don't you open it?"

There was no hesitation as the kids lunged forward, scrambling across the floor. Mako let out a yelp when her knee caught on a pile of legos; Chuck left a discordant jangle of bells in his wake. But they pulled up as they made it to the box. They exchanged a look, nodded, and both reached out to tug off the loose ribbon.

Mako very carefully pulled off the top. 

The bundle of fuzz that was curled up on a blanket and snoring softly was little more than a collection of wrinkles. He was impossibly tiny, the clear runt of the litter. Mako let out a quiet squeak when sleepy brown eyes slowly opened.

As careful as Herc had ever seen him, Chuck reached into the box and lifted the puppy into his arms, his eyes huge. Mako scooted closer. The pup blinked at them drowsily but immediately started wagging his stubby tail, snuffling into Chuck's shoulder as Mako scratched behind his ears.

"Mako," Chuck whispered, "I don't think we should kidnap Santa next year."

Herc settled back down on the couch as their children cooed over the tiny puppy. He exchanged a smile with Stacker, who twined their hands together, light glinting off the gold bands around their fingers.

They had already spent Christmases together, of course, but this was the first Christmas they spent at home.

At _their_ home.

And that made all the difference.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote and posted Christmas fic before Thanksgiving. I feel shame.
> 
> /hangs head


End file.
